Egypt in winter: December to February weather by city, crowds and what to pack

What is the weather in Egypt from December to February?

Winter is mild and mostly dry in the Nile Valley, cooler on the Mediterranean coast and warm by the Red Sea. The table shows 1981-2010 climate normals, which are 30-year averages, from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) World Weather Information Service, using data from the Egyptian Meteorological Authority.

January is the coolest month everywhere in the table. Hurghada’s sea temperature averages 23 °C in December, 22 °C in January and 21 °C in February in Wikipedia’s Hurghada page, because the WMO page has no sea data.

How cold do the nights get in Luxor and Aswan?

Colder than most visitors expect. Luxor’s January mean low is 5.9 °C in the WMO figures, and Wikipedia’s Luxor table lists record lows of -0.3 °C in January and -1.0 °C in February. Aswan’s January mean low is 8.8 °C. Weather Spark puts sunrise in Luxor at about 6:33 to 6:37 in January, so an early start is a cold one.

Wikivoyage calls December, January and February the coldest months of the year, says most buildings lack central heating, and says southern Nile Valley days are milder than in the north while nights are about as cool. Aswan averages 1.2 mm of rain a year, so a raincoat is unnecessary there.

How much rain falls in winter?

Very little in the south, and more on the Mediterranean. Luxor averages 0.1 mm in December, 1.6 mm in January and 0.1 mm in February. Cairo averages 4.5, 4.8 and 4.1 mm over the same months. Alexandria is the wet exception, with 46.7 mm in December, 52.9 mm in January and 40.2 mm in February.

Wikivoyage says only the north coast gets a little winter rain, which fits the figures above. The Government of Canada adds that heavy rain can cause severe flooding in low-lying areas of northern Egypt, so check the forecast if your plans include the Delta or the coast.

How crowded is Egypt in winter?

We found no published figure for hotel occupancy or visitor numbers by month, so we cannot rank the winter months by crowds. The holidays are the fixed points: Coptic Christmas falls on 7 January 2027 (OfficeHolidays), and Ramadan is expected to begin on or around 7 February.

If you want to avoid the holiday weeks, ask your hotel and your planner about availability for the dates you have in mind before you fix a route. See our Christmas in Egypt guide for the holiday weeks.

Is winter the Nile cruise season?

Yes. Wikipedia calls October to February the preferred cruising season, with more tolerable temperatures, and says that between October and mid-April daytime temperatures are cooler and the river locks are open.

We found no official figure for how full ships are, so ask early about cabins on the dates you want. Read the Nile cruises page for sailings, and our Christmas Nile cruise guide if you travel over the holidays.

How does winter change a sightseeing day?

Days are short, so plan around daylight. Weather Spark gives Luxor a January sunset between about 17:10 and 17:32. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities lists Karnak and the Valley of the Kings as open 6:00 to 17:00, so the last hour at Karnak falls close to dusk.

Luxor Temple is listed open 6:00 to 20:00, which makes it a natural evening stop after a day on the west bank. Hours change around holidays and Ramadan, so check the Ministry page for each site before you go.

Experience Egypt describes winters as mild, with average daytime temperatures around 20 °C and nights around 15 °C, and calls the Red Sea, Luxor and Aswan warm and sunny in winter. Those round figures are rough, and the daytime value sits between the Cairo and Luxor values in the table.

How many hours of daylight do you really get in January?

About 10.5 to 11 hours in Luxor. Weather Spark gives Luxor 10 hours 34 minutes of daylight on 1 January and 10 hours 59 minutes on 31 January, with the sun up around 6:33 to 6:37 and down between 5:10 and 5:32 in the afternoon. Cloud cover is low: the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy only 18 to 22 percent of the time, and Weather Spark rates humidity as essentially absent.

The wind is steady at about 7.8 mph, mostly from the north. That is enough to make a felucca or a sun deck feel cooler than the thermometer says. A thin windproof layer matters more than a thick coat.

The practical effect is on opening hours, which do not stretch to match the season. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities lists the Giza Plateau as open 8:00 to 16:00 every day and Abu Simbel as open 6:00 to 17:00. Plan the big outdoor site for the morning and keep museums or markets for the end of the day.

What does the Giza ticket cover in winter?

Less than most people assume. On the Ministry page, checked on 29 October 2026, the foreigner entry to the Giza Plateau area has an adult price and a lower student price, both published in the local currency only. The page states that this ticket does not cover the Great Pyramid, the Pyramid of Khafre or the Pyramid of Menkaure, so going inside a pyramid is a separate ticket. Vehicle fees are listed separately by vehicle type.

Check the current price before you go, because the Ministry changes rates. In winter, when queues are longest in the first hour after 8:00, deciding in advance whether you want to go inside saves time at the gate.

Is the Abu Simbel sun festival worth planning around?

Only if you accept the crowd. The Ministry says sunlight reaches the innermost statues of the Great Temple of Abu Simbel on 22 February and 22 October. Foreigner tickets on those two days cost more than on an ordinary day, for adults and students alike (checked 29 October 2026).

February also falls inside the preferred cruising season, so the date fits a Luxor to Aswan trip. If you dislike early starts, skip it: the site opens at 6:00 and Abu Simbel is around 300 km south of Aswan (Ministry).

Is it too cold to climb Mount Sinai in winter?

It can be. Amwal Al Ghad reported on 18 February 2017 that a local official in St. Catherine stopped tourists climbing Mount Sinai and Jebel Abbash Basha because temperatures on the mountains ranged from minus 5 to plus 5 degrees Celsius, and he said the conditions could endanger lives. That is one report from one year, not a standing rule, but it shows how much colder the high Sinai is than the Nile valley.

If Sinai is on your winter plan, ask for the forecast and any closure notice for the day, and pack a hat, gloves and a proper warm layer. The Luxor and Cairo figures in the table above do not apply there.

Which winter month suits which kind of traveller?

Match the month to what you care about most. The table pulls together the points above and the temperatures in the first table.

What are the common winter mistakes?

1. Packing only for the daytime figure. Luxor’s mean low of 5.9 °C in January means a 6:00 start feels like a different country from the 23.0 °C afternoon.
2. Expecting warm sea water. The Red Sea runs from 21 to 23 °C in the Wikipedia table, which is swimmable but cool without a wetsuit top.
3. Treating Alexandria as a warm-weather stop. Its January mean high is 18.3 °C and it is the wettest city in the table.
4. Arriving at Giza in the afternoon. The plateau closes at 16:00, so a late arrival loses most of the visit.
5. Booking late for Christmas and New Year. We found no occupancy figures, so ask your hotel early.

What does winter not give you?

Warm evenings or long light. Luxor has about 10.5 to 11 hours of daylight in January, and its nights fall to 5.9 °C. If you want longer days, a spring trip covers the other end of the comfortable window. Winter gives you comfortable walking weather, and that is the reason to accept the rest.

How does winter fit into a trip?

Treat the south as the main course and the north as the side dish. A week that puts Luxor and Aswan in the middle, with Cairo at either end, uses the warmest, driest part of the country in its mildest weather. Pick late January or February from the table above if you want fewer people.

What should you pack for an Egyptian winter?

Pack layers. Mid-day in the Nile Valley is warm, with mean highs of 23 to 25 °C in Luxor and Aswan, but nights and early mornings are cold, and Cairo and Alexandria stay cooler throughout. The sources give little formal packing advice, so this list follows the temperatures in the table:

• A light jacket or fleece for evenings.
• A warm layer for pre-dawn starts, such as Luxor’s west bank sites, which open at 6:00.
• Sunscreen and a hat for midday, since winter days in the south are still sunny.
• A light rain layer for Cairo and Alexandria, where winter rain is possible.
• Swimwear if you plan to visit the Red Sea, where the sea runs from 21 to 23 °C.

Does Ramadan fall in winter?

Part of it may in 2027. Ramadan is expected to start on or around 7 February 2027 (Government of Canada), so the last weeks of winter may fall in the fasting month. Keep food, drink and cigarettes discreet in public from sunrise to sunset. OfficeHolidays lists Eid al-Fitr from 9 to 11 March 2027, subject to moon sighting. Check the dates for your own year before you book.

Coptic Christmas falls on 7 January, according to OfficeHolidays for 2027. For a month-by-month view of the rest of the year, read when to visit Egypt.